Surge
by The Black Cat 13
Summary: Why me? Why is it always me?" is what Ryan Summers (no relation) is thinking when he is knocked out and taken to a mutant prison just before it is destroyed by the X-men. He must find some way to come to terms with his new identity, But he might not have time as an old enemy rises once more ( this is my first story i've shown in over 4 years. if reviewing give helpful feedback)
1. You're not in Kansas anymore

Surge

Chapter one: You're not in Kansas anymore

Strange things with electronics always seem to happen to Ryan, especially the Dallas game he went to where he was watching the jumbo-tron and it exploded. He went to sleep so peacefully, too bad he just couldn't stay that way. Sometimes you wake up and the world is just different. The noise of a circling helicopter is what made me open my eyes. A man was screaming over a megaphone, something about surrendering peacefully, a white blinding light pouring into my room. Like the sun had decided to shine at night and make it day. I glanced at my alarm clock: 4:10 am.

What I saw couldn't be happening; steady footsteps of hundreds of soldiers, marching down the road to my front lawn. Every little choice you make is un-seeable, the things you pick putting you back on for another spin on the wheel of fortune. That's what I know and what I believe, of course my ideals faltered when I woke up in a rubber room wearing these power reducing gloves or "gauntlets" as my guards call them.

"Hello… is anybody out there? Where am I, why are you keeping me here?" There came no answer, just silence and darkness.

"I don't rightly know but I know I have to stop thinking like this. So what's your name anyway, my name is Ryan"

But before he could answer me a man dressed in a slick black and gray suit stepped in, his face was worn for wear. His eyes were like cold steel running up and down my spine, especially as he stared at me with disdain while he paused to clean off his lenses.

"Listen up and listen good you freaks, I am Senator Vash Pedavich. I am the owner of the 'accommodations' that you shall now call home. You are as the public calls you 'mutants', but we all know you are freaks and monsters. Ladies and gentlemen I hope that you find the surrounding comforting because you won't be seeing the outside world ever again if I have my way," hatred burned in his ice cold eyes that could stare a man dead. He walked up the long staircase to the upper level, his feet echoing all the way up. I felt fear as he slowly closed the door the last of the light disappearing.

It was at this time a large boom awoke my as the wall to the cell exploded in, a group of teens walked through.

"Come with us if you want to be free". I was such a loser. There were those smart guys who everyone knew would get into a good college, and the guys who studied music or art. And me, the guy no one gave a damn about, the kid who was sure to fade away. I have a chance for a future and if I don't take it now I never would, at least twenty of my fellow inmates ran out with them towards a large jet. We escaped as a hail of gunfire was going on all around us, just as my feet touched the floor of the jet i was hit in the back, I blacked out as they dragged me onboard. The next thing I know I'm face to face with a fuzzy blue yeti and a ponytailed girl about my age looking over me.

"What the….. Who in the hell are you?" I sat up to quickly, the blood rushing to my head. I lay down again, trying to void the swimming in my skull as I looked over at the yeti again. The girl got freaked and passed through the wall.

"Let me try this again, who are you and where am I," I stood and watched as the yeti put on a lab coat and glasses.

"People call me Beast, I'm the doctor for the school and head of the science department," he seemed confident and cool headed as he walked over to his desk and rambled through a stack of papers.

"As to where you are, welcome to X-high. The top secret school for 'Gifted Children'," he sipped on a cup of tea using his feet and started writing with his hands. Ok I'll admit I was a bit freaked, but come on who wouldn't be, waking up with girl and a big blue ape in your face. Speaking of which the girl came back through the wall and not that I have prying eyes but I couldn't take mine off her. She was a knockout; wearing this white tee with a pink sweater on top and dark jeans. Hers eyes the deepest of shade of hazel, and her lips a shade of coral I have never seen before. My heart felt like it was going to stop.

"I-I'm Katherine but my friends call me kitty, umm welcome to X-high. The professor picked me to be your tour guide. So get up, get changed, and I'll be waiting outside". I swear I never moved so fast in my life, I sprinted to the bathroom the instant the door closed. There was a bag of clothes to choose from all different brands and styles but I went with my usual attire, namely a loose t-shirt, camo cargo shorts, and black converse. I stepped out of the bathroom and looked in the mirror, beast sat and whistled.

"Beast do you mind me asking a question?"

"Let me guess you want me to tell you whether she has a boyfriend or not, don't try to deny it I can read you, no pun intended, like an open book" as he set down his novel he took my shoulder in hand and pushed me towards the door.

"The answer is simple….. No! Now get out there" I stumbled into the hall, nearly tripping over my own feet. She stood there leaning against the wall, like some unknown goddess before me. I straightened up and smooth out my clothes trying to look my best. She had a smile with a questioning look on her face, like 'what took you so long'.

"Lead the way m'lady, but before we begin where are we exactly? We might as well start there," I started to say with a tone of importance. She turned to face me, her face white like a china doll. As her ponytail fell over her shoulder she did a quick turnaround.

"This is the underground. It is the home to the med ward, training room, and vehicle garage. It's also a great place to get lost if you're not careful, trust me it's happened to me on more than one occasion. But thanks to my 'gift' I always eventually find my way back upstairs," she giggled at her own joke as we reached the elevator.

"May I ask what exactly your power is? I couldn't really tell when I got scared waking up".

"I can become intangible, meaning I can pass through objects and help others pass through as well. I'm nothing special; you on the other hand have a very interesting gift, just too bad we weren't able to get those gloves off you yet"

"Yea but that still doesn't explain exactly what my gift is, I mean why am I wearing these?"

"Haven't you figured it out yet? You have a unique gift. You can control electricity and I'm guessing be able shoot it out of your hands like lightning," some of her hair fell onto her face as she excitedly explained this to me. All the uses, applications, and how powerful I probably was. I couldn't help myself but to fix her hair behind her ear. I instantly regretted it as she blushed and started walking faster.

"Sorry about that I really couldn't help myself. I have the innate need to fix peoples hair," I tried to explain while playing catch up. We came to what looked like the principal's office; she nudged me through the door.

"Ah Ryan, come on in and take a seat," I took a step forward and before I could think a chair swept my legs out from under me. The man sat behind his desk and grinned.

"Sorry to scare you like that but I've seen students new students are reluctant to come forward. Besides it's to fun messing with them, as you've probably guessed I have telekinesis and I can read minds too, welcome to my academy I'm Charles Xavier."

I sat there dumbfounded, words escaped my mouth and thoughts raced through my mind faster than I could actually think them to be honest. Could this guy really read my mind, I guess if I can blow up a jumbo-tron just by looking at it than anything is possible.


	2. No place like home

Chapter 2: No place like home

I'd spent the whole of yesterday sleeping off the anesthetic they'd given me for the bullet removal surgery, so I was about to ask the professor if we could stretch our legs a little when just began to laugh a little. I then realized that he'd read my mind and felt embarrassed; doubly so when he rolled out from the behind his desk in an electric wheelchair, he must have read me again when he rebuffed my apology for the leg comment.

"Trust me young man you're not the first nor the last to make that comment without knowing, so shall we be on our way," he began to wheel himself out the double doors and into the empty hallway. We began our tour on the main floor where we were joined by Kitty so she could finish giving me the tour, she seemed slightly relived to have the professor there as a buffer of sorts.

"So here on your left we have a few classrooms for those of us who don't want to risk going out to the normal high school where most of us go, they are also used to help train us in our abilities when we aren't doing other stuff," she had the movements of … well a cat as she fluidly pointed to all the classes were and wove in and out of student who were starting to leave their classes.

We spent the next hour going over when and where certain events were going to happen on the main floor like dinner, game night and such. Soon enough she and the professor began to explain that when I feel up to it they could help me get enrolled into the local high school if I wanted. Which I would definitely do starting on Monday, so I could give myself the weekend to get settled in, speaking of getting settled in they next led me upstairs to the dorms. The floor plan was that of any normal boarding school, most of the students having been brought here from their homes bringing their possessions with them. I on the other hand was ripped from my place so the room they showed me would be bare for a while, it was bigger than I was expecting with enough space for two easily.

"This room is all yours if you want it, the halls are mixed so we got boys and girls but two bathrooms. There's a common room around the corner and a kitchen just down the hall. If you need anything my door is just four doors to your left," Kitty smiled slightly and pointed out which one as she spoke. The professor handed me a map of the school for basics on where things were although I knew I'd still need their help.

"Dinner is at seven in the dining room but you can eat wherever you like, how about we let you get acclimated and I'll come get you when it's time," Kitty said as she and the professor left him in the room to get settled. I walked over to the window and opened it letting in a warm breeze of fall just before it get cold, below kids of various ages and looks played basketball and studied together in the back lawn.

I laid down on the bed there and thought all about what led up till this moment as the world slowly got fuzzy and I slowly passed out and fell into sleep. It was there that I began to dream about my life and what had happened when I got my powers. It all started two weeks after my fifteenth birthday while I was playing on the phone I'd gotten, it seemed to be working great from the moment I picked it up. The only problem was that it had immediately turned on when I touched it, my parents had forgotten to charge it up before giving it to me. I thought nothing of it until my mom couldn't find her phone so I handed her mine and when she tried to use it nothing happened it was drained of all power.

Unbeknownst to me I had begun to cry in my sleep, tossing and turning as if I were struggling against some stronger force. The reason for this was because of my next memory from six months later, my parents were mad and confused as to why I had gotten kicked out of school. I tried to explain to them how it happened but they were just as confused as I was, the principal showed them a security tape of me in the computer lab typing up a paper for class when suddenly all the computers in the lab including mine suddenly exploded with crackling electricity shooting from the screens towards me. I couldn't explain it and neither could they, they thought it was just a freak accident; that is until an electrical fire happened later that night starting in my room. I had thought my parents had burned something in the kitchen but then it became harder to breathe as the whole house began to burn I saw the fire too late and when I tried to escape it made the fire burn harder as the wind fed the flames. I blacked out from smoke inhalation and awoke on the lawn with a broken arm a few minutes later, it wasn't until after I'd been checked into the hospital that I learned both of my parents saved me but been trapped inside luckily they'd had been rescued from the fire but with indeterminable brain damage resulting in comas and in my father's case death. I had begun to scream in my dreams and suddenly I was being shook and yelled at the wake up by Kitty who'd come to get me for dinner.

"Ryan wake up! Wake up! You're having a nightmare," she shook me for a minute before I awoke with a start. Tears streaming down my face, I must have looked a mess but Kitty handed me a handkerchief to wipe my eyes. "So do you want to talk about it? I know how scary it can be waking up and not know what happened to you," she told me about the night that she dreamed of flying and falling before awaking in her basement with her pillow and blanket sticking halfway through the ceiling.

"Kitty umm… if I may ask how long have you been here? You look about the same age as me and you seem pretty confident in yourself and this whole having super powers thing," I couldn't help but wonder about if this place really worked, it must be or else she'd probably be constantly sinking through the floor or her bed all the time.

"It's been about a year since I got brought in by Jean, she showed me that my power is a gift not a curse. My parents were slow to accept especially my dad but they've really come into their own, I know it's tough to get by without support and that's exactly what this place provides. How about after dinner I show you some of the other things that make this place so great," she helped me off the bed and led me down to the dining area.

At first I couldn't tell what was going on as I was bombarded by delicious smells and foul odors rolled into one, that's when I noticed the guy who was teleporting around the dining area and handing people plates of food. I must have had a slightly confused look as everyone looked at me wondering how I didn't know what was happening.

"Guys this is Ryan you might remember that Scott and Jean led the team to bust up that mutant prison, I'm giving him the last of the tour and I thought he could meet the rest of the team," the rest of the people set the tables and walked over introducing themselves one by one. There was Storm who looked like African queen, Scott who looked very rigid even with his smile, Kurt the teleporting guy who I could tell even then would become my good friend and lastly a reserved girl name Rogue who carefully shook his hand wearing thick leather gloves.

As I took my seat Kurt appeared with a bigger plate of food than I'd eaten in over a year since my mom was in the hospital, Kitty sat on one side of me and Rogue on the other. Kurt appeared across from me and struck up a conversation about where I came from and what I can do, so I began with a shortened backstory of my power origin; leaving out the bit about my father's death being my fault.

"So I've been trying to run from who I am since that night, lying to those close to me about what really happened and all but dropped out of school to avoid accidently hurting someone again. It's hard trying not to touch anyone or anything for fear that you might ruin it," I raised my hands up which still had the metal gloves on them preventing my powers from fully activating. Rogue eyed them and you could tell that I had her understanding, while Kitty and Kurt nodded understanding my want to be who I was again.

Just as I was about to go get some fresh air Kitty pulled me back down into my chair, then a big cake was wheeled in on a cart and placed on the island in the kitchen for serving.

"Every time someone new joins the group we celebrate bro," Kurt teleported to the kitchen and began pouring glasses of milk to wash down the cake which happened to be lemon my favorite. "Three cheers for Ryan the newest person to join our group!"

The party continued on like that for a while longer until everyone went their own ways, it was just me and a select few others. I looked at the clock and saw it was past midnight and he wanted to get an early start on his new life here at the mansion and at Bayville high, I was on my way out the door when I got stopped by Rogue who looked like she had something to say.

"Hey it's Rogue right? Umm you look like you've got a lot on your mind do you want to take a walk, it's a nice night out," I held open the door to the outside and we stepped through into the crisp night air. For the longest while neither of us said a word as we made our way around the grounds, it was only when we came to the fountain out back that she finally said something.

"You know… I get what you were saying… about not being able to get close to someone. Thanks to my powers it's pretty much impossible for me to touch anyone with hurting them by zapping their life or powers away," she looked sullen as she explained more about what had gotten her to the mansion and I knew I had found another person who's scared to even sit next to people. "It's like one day you're holding hands with somebody then suddenly they're lying on the floor dying"

I knew what I wanted to say but I just couldn't get it to go from between my lips, so I sat beside her and smiled hoping that it would make her feel like I understood. So I sat and listened to her and the nature around us.

"You know we both have more in common than the powers, we are both from the south. You have a Mississippi or Louisiana accent on you if I'm not mistaken, so it must be a culture change to be in the north," I like the cold as much as the next guy but New York winters are famously brutal, probably on par with the years I spent in Montana with my grandparents.

She seemed to warm up to me if slowly and after an hour we seemed like old friends comparing southern cuisine and sweltering summer nights. I walked her back to her room before beginning back to mine, and I could've sworn I heard her talking to kitty before I closed my door and flopped into my bed.

The next morning it was a change of pace to hear loud voices and rushed footsteps in the hallway, I was about to see what the commotion was when a knock came to my door.

"I'm coming in!" the door slowly crept open and slowly in strode Kitty who looked like she had gotten a makeover since last night. "Hey Ryan you better hurry and get cleaned up or you'll be late for breakfast and after that the professor wants to see you downstairs in the tech lab." She smiled the way she did when I first saw her and I couldn't help but blush a little, I mean it's not as if I like her or anything….anyway I got dressed with some of the clothes they left for me and made my way down to the dining area again. And as before I took my seat with Kitty, Kurt and Rogue who seemed a little off about me sitting next to her.

We ate and talked about the schedule for the day which included study hall for those that were falling behind, free time in town and lastly some power control training with Storm. I was vastly excited by all three ideas and hoped I could do them and get to know all of them better but first I had to get to the tech lab downstairs, Kitty led me to them before running off to her astrophysics study group.

The lab was a hybrid between high school metal/wood shop and government grade technology strewn about in the fringes on the far end of the room along with the Professor and an unknown guy who seemed to have a cybernetic arm.

"Welcome Ryan I'd like to introduce you to Forge our resident tech whiz and I believe the person who can get those gauntlets off of you, if you would be kind enough to let him examine them a little," with almost no reservations I hopped up on the work bench so that he could examine how they worked and how long it would take to get them off. Forge worked on figuring how the gauntlets worked and after what seemed like forever he said he could get them off, and as he began to slowly saw and laser them off I felt a tingling feeling like when your feet wake back up. He was able to get them off and as they became free electricity arced from my hands draining power and blew out the transformers to the electric landlines of the mansion causing the back-up generator to kick in. I tried to focus hard enough for the powers to stop like I'd done before but the more electricity I drained the harder it was to control, forge slid the gauntlets back on my hands and the power stopped for the time being.

He ran tests for the next 2 hours all while fiddling with the gauntlets and slowly taking them apart and remaking them into something, I kept trying to see what he was doing until he'd taken the last of the gauntlets apart and he turn back to me as my powers poured out again. Just as my hands began to spark he turned around quickly and slid something onto my wrist, and just as soon as it did the sparking stopped and he smiled.

"Yet again I prove my tech brilliance, Ryan you should now have a stronger control over your powers. It won't shut them off like before, this watch will allow you to channel the flow of electricity properly, just hit that button on the side and you'll be able to release or restrict your gift here," I walked over to the mirror and looked at myself and imagined what my life could have been if I had this tech before. I knew things would get a lot better for me around here and my new life is just beginning.


	3. Welcome to Bayville

Chapter 3: Welcome to Bayville

I tested my new found control on a small scale by aiming at a few targets Forge set up in the lab, he and the professor gave me the go ahead to head out with the rest of the students. Hardly wasting a moment I sprinted out the door only to knock over kitty and landing on top of her. As we recovered and looked at each other face to face a small blush crawled across both our cheeks before I helped her back up, a jolt of electricity running from me to her .

"Were you eavesdropping on us?," I asked not really mad but put on airs as if I was. She seemed to retreat within herself either from nervousness or she was coming up with a witty retort.

"They say curiosity killed the cat, so I guess that's what I get for checking up on you. Look some of us are heading out if you want to come, we're doing some shopping and no offence to your wardrobe but you could use an update," she flicked the collar of my shirt and gestured at my ensemble , which was the same as yesterday since I was brought here from a prison. I was about to respond when I noticed that she was bleeding a bit from her lip and I pulled out some napkins from breakfast and dabbed it away.

"Before we go anywhere maybe we should have you checked out , make sure I didn't do any real damage to that pretty little head of yours," I tried to stop myself and fell a little short, so instead of speaking anymore I started walking to the med bay where I first woke up. As we came upon the med bay door a noticed a lone figure standing there waiting, the closer we got the more I noticed the skirt, combat boots, and mesh shirt that the girl was wearing. Rogue was there reading a play by Shakespeare as if it were a magazine at the doctor's office, I was about say something when she suddenly began speaking lines from the infamous balcony scene. And being an actor myself I thought it rude to interrupt so I let continue.

"…Retain that dear perfection which he owes. Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name, And for that name which is no part of thee Take all myself," she spoke with surprising eloquence and gestures that reminded me of a professional troupe I once saw. I couldn't help but join in.

"I take thee at thy word. Call me but love, and I'll be new baptized; Henceforth I never will be Romeo," I walked over to her and took her non-book hand. As I spoke dropping to one knee to emulate how the show went. Both Rogue and Kitty were surprised by my outburst and blushed as the words flowed from my lips. "Umm please forgive the intrusion, but you can't do the balcony scene alone," Kitty walked over and gave a small clapping applause and told me that was impressive. As the three of us began to speak more we slowly forgot why we were at the med bay and made our way upstairs to the garage for the little expedition in town.

We all arrived to find Scott giving a lecture about proper safety with driving and how we aren't allowed to use our powers out in the open, he gave me and Rogue a second glance as he knew hers was accidental and I was untrained in how to properly utilize my gifts. Nonetheless eventually we all climbed into the van and jeep to get to town. I who had never stepped so much as one foot on east coast soil was giving myself whiplash trying to see all the restaurants and stores I'd never seen before. The girls were laughing both with and at me while Kurt understood my being excited since he came over here from Germany. I got the feeling that I was home again or at least I could easily find myself fitting in with the locals, a feat I thought I was up to the task for. Bayville looked like most of the small towns I'd grown up in; a strong football team to cheer, well kempt lawns, small shops lining the streets and a big mall in the center of town where all the teens spent their free time.

When the groups converged as we arrived at the mall I couldn't help but find a strange pattern emerging as it was Kurt, Kitty, Rogue and I in a group again. It was well enough it just meant I could talk without the added pressure of a large group to impress, I didn't do too well with strangers let alone a bunch who've known each other for a while.

"So… where to first," let me just say this I thought I could handle almost anything. I've been bullied, beaten, humiliated and utterly worn down but, to face the gauntlet that Kitty devised made Dante's Inferno look like stroll through an English garden. We'd only been there for 20 minutes and had already hit 30 stores, I was prodded and paraded like a fashion slave through more outfits than any man let alone woman had ever tried on ever. As I collapsed a bench in the central nexus of this shopping hell, Kitty reprimanded me.

"What are you doing lazy bones? We haven't even been to the second floor yet not to mention the third," I looked over at Kurt and Rogue who looked as if they had just woken up from a nice nap. As I would later learn the two of them have been training extensively to keep up with her pace. So the day went on like that for a while, until the car was too full to get all of us back, I volunteered to walk back so I could get the lay of the land. Rogue had left a while ago to look at some new gloves I caught up with her just as she pulled her old ones off and grabbed her hand, the color drained from my face and I almost fell to the floor but as I was about to pass out I sent a bolt of electricity shooting up her arm to her brain. She and I were both dazed and hurt from the experience, as I helped her off the ground by her hand I noticed that I wasn't being drained dry. Her eyes flew wide and I held back a surprised scream.

"What did you do to me," Rogue exclaimed as people began to take notice of us, I absentmindedly grabbed her hand again and sprinted as fast as I could with her away from the mall. The two of us sprinted until we were about half a mile away and out of sight cutting through the park for cover, we both collapsed to catch our collective breath.

"I don't know what happened but, I think we need to call for a ride back to the mansion before something else goes wrong," before I could pull out my cell a sedan pulled up and the professor rolled down the window in the back seat. We didn't question how he knew we needed a ride, the two of us hopped in just as a group of shoppers from the mall was coming to investigate what happened.

Storm was behind the wheel and expertly evaded our tail and resumed a normal driving pattern. Meanwhile I could feel the professor probing my mind and most likely Rogue's as well to get the situation as it happened. A flash of both surprise fear and suppressed joy was trying to come to the surface of his face as he grasped what I had done. The ride was relaxing as I felt my strength come back to me, all the while I sensed a plan being formulated in the back of the professor's mind. We arrived back within fifteen minutes and as Rogue and I were going to go our separate ways for now the professor spoke.

"Hold on just a minute I wish to speak with you two about what happened, I believe Ryan; that you may have inadvertently discovered a new talent that has affected Rogue here," he gestured to the fact that we were still holding hands and I wasn't dead. I quickly let go of her and the two of us went straight to beet red. We were led back down to Beast's med bay for further examination and didn't quite understand the surprise as they went over the charts and results of the tests, until Beast told us what was going on.

"Ryan…you may have just discovered a new ability, from what the professor has told me about the incident and from these results... When you sent that jolt of electricity up to Rogue's brain it zapped the area which houses the control over mutant power genes and paralyzed it; In other words you turned her powers off... at least temporarily. Based on the size of the jolt she should be getting them back within the next thirty minutes." Both Rogue and I were in a state of shock and at a loss for words, this was monumental almost unbelievable. I didn't have anything to say to this news so I took Rogue with me as we left to grab food with the rest of my new found friends.

"How am I like this? A few weeks ago I was just a guy living on my own and trying to have a safe life now I'm at a mansion with so many others like myself. Now I have a way to control my powers slightly and I go and turn your powers off, am I a freak or do I just keep getting weirder by the second?" Rogue listened in stunned silence and as I finished speaking stopped me and gave me a small peck on the cheek; as if to say thank you for this small gift. She actually smiled wide unlike the other night and took off towards the dining area so she could show everybody what had happened so I wouldn't have to. "Thanks….. I guess I did something right" Slowly I began walking the same way to get caught up with my friends, little did I know Rogue left a lipstick mark on my cheek that I'd quickly have to explain away.


	4. New Kid in Class

Two Days Later

The last two days were a flurry of private tutoring lessons for classes I'd missed while incarcerated unjustly and because I'd be starting at Bayville High today. I was so nervous that I'd flip out accidently that I barely heard Storm say she'd be giving me power control sessions to those students that'd like them. I slowly raised my hand just as the morning meeting ended. The next 30 minutes are spent in a panic as I gathered all my supplies before it was time to leave. The professor had set it up a schedule for me at the school. I'd have a majority of classes with my fellow Xavier residents but the last two were far from anyone I knew. Scott volunteered to take a few of us in his car while Storm drove another.

Once again I was pleased by the quaint little town but today felt a bit different as if there was a bit more electricity in the air… or that might have been just me venting a bit of anxiety over my first day back. Even when I thought I was just a normal teen I'd never really fit in with kids my own age, always floating between this group and that. Not sporty enough for the jocks, smart enough for the geeks or dark enough for the emo/goth kids. So when we pulled up into the parking lot and see the eyes of all the cliques lock in on me, was close enough to my worst nightmare.

"Don't be so nervous Ryan, it's only your first day at a brand new school. Where you're an enigma with a frightening super power and almost no one knows your name," Kitty jokingly patted me on the back and gave me an encouraging smile.

"Don't listen to a word she says, she was almost in tears on her first day until she was absorbed into her close little clique," Rogue almost cracked a wry smile as she saw Kitty have a run of red embarrassment cross her face.

I wanted to say that I wasn't scared but then again I was never a very good liar, somehow I always ended up giggling while trying to keep a straight face. Kurt put his arm around my shoulder and we all made our way into this brave new world called High School. The instant I walked through the front door I was bombarded by way too many with way too many flyer advertising all the clubs at the school.

"What? You're new to town then you should join-," the girl in front of me was rudely knocked aside by a tall girl who could only be a volleyball or basketball player. "We need a manager and since you're new it would be the perfect way to meet new people," one after another I was forced one flyer after another until I couldn't see past the stack while walking to the office and grab my schedule and ID.

"Geez is it always like this?"

"Not really it's just that a lot of families have left town due to the accidents that keep happening," Kitty leaned in close. "And when I say accidents I mean students with powers getting in trouble with their use." I smelled her perfume and shampoo as she got in close and I have to admit that I felt my heart skip a beat,that is until I caught a glimpse of Rogue out of the corner of my eye getting a bit less patient with Kitty's constant flirting with me that I was oblivious to at the time.

"So when they left a lot of the members left with them so they're desperate for people to fill out the rosters," which when I thought about it might explain why Rogue was reciting Shakespeare. She must be in the drama club, which was the club I had planned on joining from the start. The gang must have noticed the thoughts running through my head and assumed I was scared about my secret.

"Ryan bro, you've got nothing to worry about. If the fuzzy blue man can make it here than you will be ruling this place within a week," Kurt spoke in the funniest broken english slang I'd ever heard attempted. So I couldn't help but laugh away most of my stress and worries about today and decided that I would make the best of it. Little did I know that the day would be having much more serious plans for me.

"Hi my name is Ryan Summers. Umm I'll be 17 in about two weeks. I'm a Virgo and my hobbies include basketball, acting and writing. I just moved to town last week so I'm hoping to get to know the town as well as I hope to get to know all of you," this is one of the problems with being new the teachers always call on you to introduce yourself to the class. And they did for every…single…class, which was fine except that I've never really been good with words unless I was onstage with a script.

Luckily I had a few of the Xavier kids with me so I wasn't as nervous as I could've been, that is until I got to my last class of the day Intermediate algebra. For the kids that are smart enough for Algebra 1 but not quite bright enough to move ahead. And I know what I'm talking about because the people in there with me were not the crunchiest chips in the bag to put it kindly. Each one of them looked like the poster child for detention.

"I said no! This is my sandwich! You get your own you slimy little toad," said the biggest kid I've ever seen. I don't mean big as in fat, which he was… sort of, I mean big as in he was like a living wall with a Mohawk and overalls. I knew from looking that he would fly off the handle with the smallest of wrong terminology.

"But man I'm starving and you know you can't build up any muscle tone living off of flys," came from the mouth of… I don't know what to call him. To call him a man would be an insult, seeing as you could almost see the stench lines coming off of him. My guess was he was about of slimy as he looked and twice as disgusting.

I couldn't really judge the other two guys, they both gave off a screw you vibe and I sensed they had the power to back up those nasty looks they gave me. One was sort of twitchy and light on his feet as he moved around the rest of his group, the other was a bit more stoic and seemed like he was formulating a plan in the back of his mind. It wasn't until the teacher blew a miniature air horn that they shut their yaps and paid a moment's attention to the front board, which is precisely when they noticed me and all gave each other the same diabolical look: Fresh Meat!

"Today we will be covering the formula to break down complex equations into smaller simpler ones and then-,"I didn't get a chance to hear anymore because the moment I took a seat the group of delinquents swarmed and took all the seats around me. "Hey new kid it looks like you're in desperate need of classroom buddies, you know the kind that lends each other their homework and pays their buddies money for bully protection," said the silver haired twitchy one. Apparently this group I would later learn were called 'The Brotherhood' and like myself were also mutants. But they liked to use their powers to bully and steal from non-powered students like I was pretending to be, so I went along with it as best I could.

"Hey thanks a lot guys I was hoping I would meet some reliable people to help me out here today so if you wouldn't mind I could sure use some help, and on the financial front I'd be more than willing to pay for real help," the group looked more shocked than happy at my words as if they couldn't believe I was saying all this. Soon enough I would see the dollar signs in their eyes as they began to see this extortion as a viable option for them, they didn't hear the bell ring. I quickly magnetized them to their desks and took off towards the door, as they saw me leave they all tried to get up and ripped their collective pants at once.

I was gone before anyone noticed I was even there, and found my way done to the lunch room and quietly grabbed my lunch. The room was a bit bigger than I was used to from my years elsewhere, with two separate levels of people and courtyard filled with tables. I searched for some familiar faces as I walked, not exactly paying close enough attention as I probably should've and my tray was suddenly running down the front of a lettermen's jacket belonging to Duncan Matthews.

"You're dead you little nobody!"

The cafeteria all turned toward this brewing situation with great anticipation as if this were a scheduled event they paid good money to see. I could sense that more and more people were starting to surround us including some of my fellow Xavier friends who couldn't do anything without getting into trouble themselves. Duncan landed the first few blows in rapid succession, each one hurting slightly more than the last. I took them in stride as I'd received much worse in the past few years than he could deal out, then he began dealing punches to my face and I couldn't hold myself back for much longer. Which as luck would have it I didn't have to wait; the brotherhood burst into the cafeteria and searched the crowd to find me, my guess was that they'd realized what I did or had an inkling. So they began forcing their way through the dense crowd which provided me the distraction time enough to shock Duncan with the same force of a taser. So by the time they turned their attention back to us I had Duncan held up by his jacket.

"That's what you get for messing with me, I apologize for messing up your jacket. Let's call us even and leave it at that," the Xavier students saw what I did and either nodded in approval or shook their heads in disappointment. I sat my unconscious victim at a table and cleaned up my mess. I walked out of the cafeteria and into the courtyard to avoid any more bad publicity for myself, followed by Kitty and Rogue who wanted to make sure I was okay. The pain wasn't as bad as it could've been since my electricity sped my muscles healing processes but it still hurt like hell. It wasn't until I caught a glimpse of the delinquents behind me as well that I remembered the Brotherhood had been after me as well, two seconds too late to see the fist fly at my face.

"Man is the sky blue…" I passed out


	5. Bruised Ego

Chapter 5: Bruised Ego

You know that feeling that even though you've slept a full eight hours you feel tired upon waking up or when you slept wrong on your bed and your body hurts. Take that and jam all those feelings into a ten minute segment and times it by two. I awoke thirty minutes later in the nurse's office having been carried on the shoulders of Kitty and Rogue, they were each sitting one side of my bed and were discussing me. So instead of sitting up which would've caused more pain I laid there and faked sleep while they chatted me up.

"You know I don't think I've really seen one of us take a full force punch from Blob and survive, his body must be tougher than he looks," Kitty said as she closely examined him from head to toe for the first time. While it was true that my body was a bit tougher it was mostly thanks to my powers enhancing my healing speed so quickly.

"Yea but that big boy wasn't smart enough to aim where it would really hurt. It's too bad I-," Rogue cut herself off as the nurse walked in and saw Ryan trying his best to keep his eyes shut. She passively suggested that they go gather his supplies and the assignment he missed in his last class, it was only when I heard the door close that I peeked my eyes open.

"Hehe nice going nurse I believe they were going to start dishing about the boys they like. Besides I probably could've gotten some pity in a minute if I woke up," the nurse chided me for my plan and said that you couldn't make things too easy for myself or I'd get bored. I took some migraine pills and held an ice pack to my head as I made my way out of the office and down the halls. I thought that I might as well check out the active clubs before heading back with my two angels of mercy.

Bayville high was a bit different than what I was used too. The ceiling were higher and the lights gave off that irritating whine in the silence of the hallway. The walls were a bit blander than the mural covered ones of my last school, the trophy cases a bit more full than I expected. It wasn't until I got towards the gym that I began to feel familiar again, the sounds of men pinning each other to the mats and sneakers squeaking followed by a swoosh as a ball was sunk. Until my powers surfaced I was on three separate sports teams and the vice president of the drama club, after the fire I all but became a ghost in the halls of my last school.

As I approached the open double doors a ball came rolling out, a voice called from across the court asking me to toss it back at them. I slowly stepped inside and decided to shoot instead of throwing it back to them. The ball left my hands and sailed through the air, it hit the back board and bounced twice before sinking in. Heads were beginning to turn as they saw the shot from some unknown student and a few players came over to talk. I wanted to keep anonymous a while longer before getting my face out there, so I quickly took off around the corner and down the hall before they could catch up to me. I didn't stop until I ducked inside the auditorium, where it looked like the drama club hadn't arrived yet. Out of habit from my past life I made my way down the aisle and onto center stage, all the while making sure no one was around.

"Thank you thank you ladies and gentlemen for coming to our humble production tonight, we hope that our simple acts will make you laugh and cry as we touch your hearts. I will be performing a small monologue from 'The Count of Monte Cristo' where the three enemies of Edmond Dantes plan to have him jailed for a false offence," I readied myself as I remembered the lights hitting me in the past. "We are friends, are we not? And our interests are the same. We collaborate and trust in fate; to parcel out the blame. There are ends we've all got that can justify the means. We negotiate and fabricate the facts behind the scenes. Keeping all the details vague and secrets hidden, safe from balance sheet of those you trust. Because history is a story told by the winners of the fight! You imply, lie a little, and testify a little against a sailor. Who's going to question what goes on in the middle of the night?" Unbeknownst to me Kitty, Rogue and a few other Xavier students had gathered my stuff and followed my trail to the auditorium where they sat in the dark back row and watched me perform. As I finished up and sat on the edge of the stage I heard a chorus of clapping from the back row and not seeing who it was just bowed until they made their way down to me.

"Bravo bravo bravisimo, encore!" Kitty sat on the edge of the stage beside me and Rogue the other. "I mean I shouldn't be surprised, I saw you break out the Shakespeare with Rogue the other day. But why didn't you say something about how good you are?"

"Well… it's slightly embarrassing. A lot of people used to assume that since I did theater that I was…playing for the home team." I began to blush slightly at the compliment and rubbed the back of my head which caused a bit of static to make my hair stand up, which got even Rogue to chuckle.

"Besides I like to say it's mostly because of quote by Oscar Wilde, man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask and he'll tell you the truth." I'd always found it easier to express myself when I wasn't myself. Little did I know that there was someone else watching from the balcony seats, she brushed her red hair back as she stood up and morphed into an average looking girl before walking out the door. 'He's just what I need…. Phase two can begin,' she thought to herself as she disappeared into the now crowded hallways as clubs were beginning to let out for the day.

"Sugar you seem to be feeling much better than before," Rogue gave a coy smile as the Xavier student all began to leave together and head out to the parking lot. Scott and Jean asked more questions than I'd care to answer about the fight and where I had disappeared to after the nurse's office; I did my best to answer leaving out my impromptu stage show minutes ago as we all headed back to the mansion.

Later that evening the students that didn't see or hear of the fight were regaled with a much more heroic sounding version of the days' events, leading to a toast in my honor circulating the room. I laughed of course, who wouldn't? When something this outrageous happen on your first day back then one can only imagine what will befall me later.

As dinner died down I made my way outside the mansion and decided to partake in a midnight stroll, though in truth it would be a 10:30 stroll; but that didn't have the same ring to it. The crisp autumn air chilling me slightly as leaves swirled along my intended path; a familiar sense of self overtook me as I tried to move gracefully among the dead dancing plant life. I continued like this until I reached the gate that served as the entrance to the compound and I got the feeling that I was being watched. Little did I know I was and would be for the foreseeable future, there were plans in the works the likes of which I couldn't fathom at the time. All of it would be facilitated by the mysterious blue woman that watched me; hidden in a treetop outside the gate. I decided to head back before my feeling became permanent and as I laid my head down on the pillow I knew that something big was coming.

"He's not ready yet… but soon sir," Mystique leapt from the branch she was perched on and landed effortlessly on the pavement below. As she closed her cellphone, she took mental note of my behavior when alone.

"Sleep well Ryan, I'll see you at school," she morphed into her form she used as the school principal and strolled off into the night; laughing as she faded into growing dark.


End file.
